Orange County

‘It is the next step toward freedom’: How local counties are mobilizing to vaccinate homebound seniors for COVID-19

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — 9 Investigates why our largest Central Florida county is lagging behind others when it comes to vaccinating homebound seniors against COVID-19.

We told you about a state emergency management plan to set aside 1,500 doses for shut-in seniors, and both Brevard and Osceola counties are launching their own pilot programs to do the same. However, Orange County still doesn’t have a plan ready to go.

READ: Florida pilot program aims to bring COVID-19 vaccines to homebound seniors

Channel 9 investigative reporter Karla Ray learned that Seminole County’s Department of Health is leading the pack in this effort, with 440 doses given to seniors in their homes so far.

Each morning, Seminole County Health Department paramedic Sergio Osorio gets behind the wheel of a van, knowing he’s about to change lives.

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“It is the next step toward freedom again,” Osorio said.

He’s part of the department’s Community Integrated Mobile Health Services, and since late December, he’s been giving doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to bedbound seniors who would otherwise have no way to get it.

“With a paramedic background, I’m used to going into people’s homes, so that part isn’t necessarily foreign to me,” Osorio said. “What has been new is seeing how appreciative people are to see us there.”

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Of the 440 doses given so far, nearly 140 are fully vaccinated with their second shot.

“The gratitude is something I’ve never seen in my decades of public service,” program administrator Kelly Welch said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Welch said seniors in Seminole County were given an advantage because this infrastructure was in place well before the pandemic.

READ: Seminole County partners with local churches to distribute COVID-19 vaccine

“COVID has given us the opportunity to really capitalize on that, so when we got the vaccines, we were able to mobilize the same day to be able to target individuals who were bedbound,” Welch said.

Not every county has been as quick to roll things out. however.

Brevard County announced it is setting aside 200 doses for a pilot outreach program, and Osceola County is working with an independent pharmacy to reach seniors in their homes as well.

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But when asked about when we’d see similar efforts in Orange County, Health Officer Dr. Raul Pino said they are still in the planning stage.

“We are very close to be able to do it, but there are so many moving parts,” Pino said.

The obstacles in Orange County include the county’s size and need to train paramedics to mobilize.

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However, Pino said there is already a working list of seniors who may need this type of help, and that’s a start.

“We have a registry of those who have registered with us for storms and shelters, we know who those individuals are, where they live,” Pino said. “The challenge will be to update the list.”

Karla Ray

Karla Ray, WFTV.com

Karla Ray anchors Eyewitness News This Morning on Saturday and Sundays, and is an investigative reporter for the 9 Investigates unit.